Snug fitting cover for a toilet seat lid



SNUG FITTING COVER FOR A TOILET SEAT LID Filed June 27, 1956 INVENTOR.ELI B. COPLAN J LdFJM/f ATTORNEY United States My invention relates to acover for a toilet seat lid constructed to fit the lid snugly and to lieflat on the top surface of the lid.

A cover for a toilet seat lid may be held in place by having the marginsof the cover fold under the edges of the lid with the margins drawntogether under the lid to provide a snug fit. When the margins of thecover are drawn together, folds, or gathers, develop in the coveradjacent the margin. To the extent that the margins of the cover areunder the edge of the lid the appearance of the gathers is notimportant.

However, most lids have hinges which are attached to the lid in a mannerto prevent the margins of the cover from being positioned under the lidadjacent the hinges. When the rear margin of the cover lies across thetopsurface of the lid to avoid interference with the hinges the folds,or gathers, in the margin of the material detract considerably from theappearance of the cover.

In addition, if the margins of the cover are drawn to, gether byelastic, the tension in the elastic at the margin lying on the topsurface of the lid has a tendency to pull the margin of the cover out ofa flat position and results in a poor appearing, ill fitting cover.

By the present invention a cover is provided which snugly fits the lidand which lies flat on the top surface of the lid. 1 In brief, the coverhas front and side margins which fold under the lid and a rear marginwhich lies across the top surface of the lid. The cover has elastic sewnaround its entire margin. At the front and side margins the elastic issewn with gathers, or folds, in the cover when the elastic is in therelaxed state so that the cover is stretchable at its front and sidemargins. At the rear margin the elastic is sewn with substantially nogathers in the cover. With this construction, the tension in the elasticat the front and side margins of the cover I draws these marginstogether to provide a snug tight fit on the lid. The rear margin, havingsubstantially no gathers and little tension, lies fiat across the topsurface of the lid.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide asnug fitting, neat appearing cover for a toilet seat.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cover for atoilet seat lid which lies flat on the top surface of the lid and whichis held securely on the lid by an elastic band around the entire marginof the cover.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a coverfor a toilet seat lid which has a tailored appearance yet which isinexpensive, easily manufactured, and readily removable from the lid.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a neatfitting toilet seat lid cover, the rear margin of which lies flat acrossthe top surface of the lid in front of the lid hinges.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claim. My inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with ICQ further objects and advantages thereof, will best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toilet seat lid with the cover of thepresent invention installed;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the lid and cover of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the cover and lid of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view through section 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view through section 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view through section 6-6 of Figure 4; and

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate form of the presentinvention.

A toilet seat lid is shown generally at 10 in Figure l. The lid is ofgenerally oval conformation and has a curved front edge 12, curved sideedges 14, and a straight rear edge 16. The lid is hingedly connected tothe toilet by two hinges 20 which are screwed to the top surface 18 ofthe lid by screws 20a.

The cover 22 is made of a flexible material preferably a sheetof-fabric, and fits over the lid 10 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Thecover is cut with a curved front margin 24, curved side margins 26, anda straight rear margin 28. The front and side margins 24 and 26 extendabout the front and side edges 12 and 14 of the lid, respectively tofold under the edges as shown in Figure 2. When the cover is on the lid,the rear margin 28 of the cover lies across the top surface 18 of thelid as shown in Figure 1 and the front and side margins 24 and 26 of thecover pocket the front and side edges 12 and 14 of the lid as shown inFigures 2, 3 and 4. i

A flexible tube 31 is sewn to the cover around the front, side and rearmargins 24, 26 and 28 as shown in Figures 2 and 4. An elastic band 30 isreceived within the tube and extends around the entire margin of thecover. At the front and side margins 24 and 26, the elastic band 30 issewn while under tension to the tube 31 and cover. In sewing the band 36to these margins the elastic band 30 is stretched taut under tensionduring the sewing operation, while the cover at these margins lies fiatwithout fields, or gathers. Thus, when the elastic band contracts to therelaxed state after being sewn to the cover, the cover is drawn tocreate folds, or gathers, 32 as shown in Figures 2 and 5. With thesefolds or gathers, the front and side margins, 24 and 26 of the cover canexpand and contract under the tension of the elastic band 30.

At the rear margin 28, the elastic band 363 is sewn to the cover andtube 31 while in the relaxed state under no tension. During the sewingoperation the rear margin 28 lies flat without folds or gathers. Sincethe elastic band 3d was in the relaxed state when sewn to the cover andtube, no folds or gathers will develop at this margin after the sewingoperation. Hence this margin, which is substantially inelastic, wiil liefiat without unsightly gathers.

In use the cover is placed on the lid with the front and sides of thecover folded under to pocket the front and side edges, respectively, ofthe lid iii as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The rear margin 28 of the coverlies across the top surface 18 of the lid as shown in Figures 1, 3 and4. The front and side margins 24 and 26 of the cover are stretched whenthe cover is in position on the lid, and the elastic band at thesemargins is sufficiently taut to draw the margins together, creating asnug fit on the lid. These margins are underneath the lid as shown inFigure 2, and the presence of the-gathers or folds 32 does not mar theappearance of the cover. The rear margin 28 of the cover has no folds,or gathers, and

consequently this margin will lie flatly and neatly across the topsurface of the lid. The elastic along the rear margin 28 iscomparatively relaxed with substantially no contraction occurring atthis margin, and hence there is no tendency for the margin 28 to bepulled, or drawn, out of position.

A modification of the present invention is shown in Figure 7. In thisform of the invention, the elastic band 30 is received in a flexiblechannel 131. The open end of the channel receives the cover 22 and issewn thereto. The band 30 is sewn to the channel and cover in a mannersimilar to that described above.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of the presentinvention it will, of course, be understood that numerous modificationsand alternative constructions may be made without departing from thetrue spirit and scope thereof. I therefore intend by the appended claimto cover all such modifications and alternative constructions as fallwithin their true spirit and scope.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

A cover for a toilet seat lid having a generally straight back edge withhinges therealong and a generally oval forward portion, said covercomprising: a sheet of flexible material overlying said oval portion ofsaid seat and extending about and under the periphery of said ovalportion, terminating in a generally Ushaped edge under said ovalportion, the length of said material along said U- shaped edge beingsubstantially greater in length than the length of said U, the portionof said sheet over said seat having a terminal edge forwardly of saidback edge of said seat, the length of said material along said terminaledge being substantially equal to the width of said seat along saidterminal edge; a flexible tube about said edges of said sheet andattached to said edges, the length of said tube being substantiallyequal to said lengths of said material along said edges; and an elasticband in and secured to said tube along the entire length of the tube,the portion of said band about said U-shaped edge being, in the relaxedstate, substantially shorter than said lengh of said material along saidU-shaped edge and also shorter than said length of said U whereby saidmaterial about said U will be gathered by said band in any given area inan amount equal to the excess of material in that area and the materialacross the top of the seat will be flat and taut, the portion of saidband along said terminal edge being, in the relaxed state, substantiallyequal to said length of the material along said terminal edge wherebythe band will maintain said terminal edge taut but will not cause saidterminal edge to wrinkle.

Beam Feb. 3, 1925 McCamy Sept. 2, 1952

